Basically I unlocked bootloader and tried to load ROM. I tried the Desire and Cynagen. I was not successful at either. I manage to do a factory reset and the phone is working, except my wi-fi is shot, and when i recieve the initial OTA update it starts to download and then stops and I get the triangle of death as I call it with the lil android guy. I realy dont know what the hell Im doing and I need inch by inch restoring ROM for dummies instruction. I would like to go back to stock.I have been in threads but i get lost on certain things. I dont know what a adb is or how to acess it. I did read the noobies guide.. Please help as I am ready to chuck this thing out the window, i love my N1
I have searched the ORIGINAL SHIPPING TUTORIAL
and one other thread but i guess i cant post links.
please help!!!
do a search for adb for dummies on this site. it should help
Buck Shot said:
Basically I unlocked bootloader and tried to load ROM. I tried the Desire and Cynagen. I was not successful at either. I manage to do a factory reset and the phone is working, except my wi-fi is shot, and when i recieve the initial OTA update it starts to download and then stops and I get the triangle of death as I call it with the lil android guy. I realy dont know what the hell Im doing and I need inch by inch restoring ROM for dummies instruction. I would like to go back to stock.I have been in threads but i get lost on certain things. I dont know what a adb is or how to acess it. I did read the noobies guide.. Please help as I am ready to chuck this thing out the window, i love my N1
I have searched the ORIGINAL SHIPPING TUTORIAL
and one other thread but i guess i cant post links.
please help!!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
did you try to load rom in the recovery img? This also happened to me (triangle with the android guy) and I thought I couldnt flash custom roms. For some reason the regular reboot to recovery mode gives me the triangle of death as you call it.
I got around this by loading in into bootloader mode then going to my command console, getting to my skd tools folder, and then typing
fastboot boot (whatever recovery img you used)
Then everything worked perfectly.
They are going to move this to General....
You did not follow the steps correctly it sounds.
Did you Load Amon Ras Recovery?
IF YES,
GO into Recovery
WIPE data
Flash Cyanogen's Latest ROM
Flash Google Apps available on Cyanogen's front page Post
In future ALWAYS nandroid Backup...
If you did not load Amon Ra's Recovery, you should go do this from fastboot.
I'll try to explain it to you:
1. The Bootloader is unlocked (you see the open lock at the first screen)? If you don't see the lock this is the first you should do or send it directly in for repair!
2. Then you have to flash the Recovery ROM (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=611829) This you need to flash an update.zip Exact instalation guide is in the Link.
3. The ROM. If you want Stock then here you'll find it as an update.zip: http://android.modaco.com/content/g...-online-kitchen-optional-root-insecure-himem/
Choose one without includet Radio ROM!!! (See below why!)
4. Copy the ROM to your SD Card Root
5. Go into Recovery ROM (Vol Down with Power and then select recovery with the Volume button). There you select wipe and choose the first entry there (wipe data and cache)
6. Stay in Recovery ROM and selct Flash from update.zip and select the update.zip. Wait until everything is done and you are promted to reset your N1.
(DON'T MESS AROUND WITH THE RADIO ROM IF YOU DON'T KNOW EXACTLY WHAT YOU ARE DOING. DON'T UNDERSTAND ME WRONG, I THINK YOU HAVE NO GLIMPS WHAT YOU ARE DOING SO BETTER LEAVE THE RADIO ROM ALONE!!! YOU MAY BRICK (DESTROY) YOUR PHONE WITH IT!!! If you dont believe: http://android.modaco.com/content/g...odaco-com/303716/nexus-cannot-on-after-flash/)
7. There should be no 7. Everything should be fine by now.
Hope I could help.
** 100 Posts **
Stheoft u are my hero!!! Now hold do I get the multitouch update? lol sorry
DID YOU EVERY KNOW THAT UR MY HERRRRRRROOOOO
edit: i got it, im back to square one... thanks alot for all ur help
@ Buck Shot, this is a development forum... threads with question shud go in the general forum... these are making the development forum a mess....
I bought my Samsung Nexus S from a Koodo booth here in Canada two days ago and have been enjoying it quite a lot since. I've also been reading up on the wealth of information pertaining to rooting it and trying to sort out so many different factors. I notice I'll have to use the search feature to find one little triviality that comes along and the fix it.
Then I decided to just make my own thread where I'll post every step of the ways I find and how I figure out how to solve my issues involved with rooting my phone.
To start, I found out you can create a backup with NANdroid.
I couldn't find any information on where to download this elusive "NANdroid" and then heard from This thread that all I have to do is
kenvan19 said:
Now lets get started. First, how does one install mods on Android? Lets do a NANDroid backup to begin:
1) Turn your phone off.
2) While holding the Volume Up button press the power button until the screen turns on and you will see a black screen with an Android on it and a lot of numbers and words that will mean nothing to you. This is called the Bootloader. In both the bootloader and the recovery mod you will use the volume buttons to navigate between options and the power button to select one.
3) Navigate down to Recovery option and select it.
4) Navigate down to backup and restore
5) Navigate down to backup and select it and let it run.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This didn't seem to be the case when I followed these steps; coming first to the predicted screen,
(containing this information)
Code:
FASTBOOT MODE
HW VERSION - REV 16
BOOTLOADER VERSION - I9020XXKA3
BASEBAND VERSION - I9020UCKB2
CARRIER INFO - ATT (but im with Koodo?)
SERIAL NUMBER - Lots of digits.
LOCK STATE - LOCKED
Also giving me the option to select between
Reboot Bootloader
Reboot
Recovery
Power Off
When going into recovery mode I'm greeted with an animation of a box with an arrow coming out of it. This turns into a triangle with a exclamation in the middle of it.
From here I press power and volume up to come to a menu that is supposed to have a NANdroid option I've been told.
Instead; I get the options:
Reboot system now
Apply update from /sdcard
wipe data/factory reset
wipe cache partition
At this point I'm currently stumped, though I'll continue searching as I'd rather not be stuck without a backup before starting the rooting process.
UPDATE: Even though I'm weary of proceeding without backing up, I'm sure I'll be able to restore my phone back to factory somehow.
I spent the night downloading and installing the Android SDK, then started configuring my device for use on windows 7.
Currently I'm in the bootloader interface after installing my phone's device drivers while being in fastboot mode.
The drivers take a couple of minutes, but they install successfully!
On I go, I'll just point DOS to the directory I want it to. Now I'll run the program through dos. What's this?! AND ERROR!?
Psht, I WOULD be missing the "AdbWinApi.dll" Not a hard thing to fix. I'll just google for the file!
Oh! I don't even have to download the file, the directory has just changed!
That was an easy problem to solve with many solutions provided!
Time to try again!
Sweet, it works. WHOA! TEXT ON MY ANDROID WHAT ARE YOU DOING!
And I select Yes to come to a nice screen that says my phone is now unlocked!
Now I need to download an image file? Okay. I can do this.
Okay, flash recovery the flashboot. Looks like the image has updated since the thread's instructions. Hopefully it's still compatible.
Now I just need to root. Just need to install a nice zip file.
AAAND, I can't seem to push it onto my phone for some reason. Time to search.
Oh, I can just copy and paste this file by enabling USB storage and dragging it over.
I'll just follow the rest of the steps, to no errors! Whoo! I'm free to install any ROM I want!
You'll need a custom recovery for nandroid, but first you will need to root. There's guides in the nexus s general section on doing that.
I kind of like this post.
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA Premium App
apreichner said:
You'll need a custom recovery for nandroid, but first you will need to root. There's guides in the nexus s general section on doing that.
I kind of like this post.
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA Premium App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just read through Kursk's guide for rooting the i9020a and i9023 and noticed I have no ability to backup my android in the case something goes wrong.
Am I missing something, or do I have to root before having the privilege of backing up my phone's current ROM.
edit: Got sidetracked by a thread in the Chef's forum and learned that Java is the language for App development for Androids. Been reading about the Android OS and how it works for the past couple of hours. Brains bursting. xd
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=895545
^ Has pretty much all you need to know for installing a custom recovery and rooting your phone.
It's only once you've installed ClockWorkRecovery Mod that you'll be able to easily make backups.
HellllOOooOoOo!!
Ok, here goes. First off, I searched. A lot. There is so much conflicting information and opinions out there. I hate to annoy you pros with noob-ness but I have to. Sorry!
Here is the quick version:
Friend gave me an Atrix 4G. He is big on experimenting, rooting, custom ROMs and all that. I am not. At all. I want to use it on t-mobile. I DO get a signal and can text. MMS doesn't work and motoblur wont let me set up an account. This results in no access to email other then Gmail. Basically, I want to bring the phone back to its original (or close as possible) state. Hopefully, that will solve some of my issues.
-Android Version
2.3.4
-Unlocked
-Rooted
-Build Number
olympus_hktw-userdebug 2.3.4 4.5.2A-5_OLH-3110614 test-keys
-Clockwork recovery mod installed (if that matters)
I am not THAT tech savvy but can follow instructions well. I've already been messing around but cant seem to get RSD Lite to actually flash properly. I dont care for customs ROMS, hacking and tinkering. I just want this phone to work as well as possible.
Can anyone give me some personal assistance? Please? Step by step would be great. I'll be refreshing this page often in hopes of responses.
Vul said:
HellllOOooOoOo!!
Ok, here goes. First off, I searched. A lot. There is so much conflicting information and opinions out there. I hate to annoy you pros with noob-ness but I have to. Sorry!
Here is the quick version:
Friend gave me an Atrix 4G. He is big on experimenting, rooting, custom ROMs and all that. I am not. At all. I want to use it on t-mobile. I DO get a signal and can text. MMS doesn't work and motoblur wont let me set up an account. This results in no access to email other then Gmail. Basically, I want to bring the phone back to its original (or close as possible) state. Hopefully, that will solve some of my issues.
-Android Version
2.3.4
-Unlocked
-Rooted
-Build Number
olympus_hktw-userdebug 2.3.4 4.5.2A-5_OLH-3110614 test-keys
-Clockwork recovery mod installed (if that matters)
I am not THAT tech savvy but can follow instructions well. I've already been messing around but cant seem to get RSD Lite to actually flash properly. I dont care for customs ROMS, hacking and tinkering. I just want this phone to work as well as possible.
Can anyone give me some personal assistance? Please? Step by step would be great. I'll be refreshing this page often in hopes of responses.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It sounds like you need to set up a proper T-Mobile APN. (you have a T-Mobile SIM card currently installed?)
If you can get on Wifi, try to go the the Play store and download Tweakker or other APN utilities that enter the APN for your based on your carrier.
co.ag.2005 said:
It sounds like you need to set up a proper T-Mobile APN. (you have a T-Mobile SIM card currently installed?)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes. I have a t-mobile SIM card installed. My concern is what the previous owner may have done and whatever ROM is loaded on this phone. Can I somehow bring it back to stock or get a super stable, close to stock as possible ROM first and then start addressing the quirks I have?
Is this an AT&T branded phone? I'm not sure if getting back to stock is necessary, and if you do get back to stock, you might be SIM locked to AT&T (I could be wrong however). If you want to flash a fresh, stock ROM but still be rooted, SIM unlocked, etc., find a 2.3.6 Fruitcake in this forum or try NottachTrix 4G ROM.
however, I'd wait till others weighed in before doing anything. Honestly, I'd try getting your APN (download Tweakker app and walk through the steps) going now and if that solves your issue, your ROM might be working fine for you... my $0.02
oh, and welcome to XDA!
Vul said:
Yes. I have a t-mobile SIM card installed. My concern is what the previous owner may have done and whatever ROM is loaded on this phone. Can I somehow bring it back to stock or get a super stable, close to stock as possible ROM first and then start addressing the quirks I have?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. Download the fruitcake .zip you want (webtop also, if you want it)
2. Do a full wipe with fastboot (search if you're unsure how to)
3. Boot into recovery and flash the .zip you downloaded from step 1
4. Reboot and you're done
This will put you back to stock. I can't remember if fruitcakes are pre-rooted, but if not you can easily root again.
Alright, now we're getting somewhere.
co.ag
The phone itself says "unlocked" upon startup. I got the network unlock code direct from AT&T because at first the phone wouldn't even recognize my t-mo SIM. Phone is now network unlocked.
Ghost
gonna search now for fruitcake and see what thats all about. Do I need webtop?
Then going to get fastboot. Guess I dont need RSD Lite anymore?
Im doing this because I dont know what the previous owner has done and would like a clean slate. Kind of like changing the oil on a used car you buy, even if the PO says it was done.
Ok so,
I found fastboot with recovery tool and the .exe files within the ZIP dont do anything.
The fruitcake ZIP file I downloaded according to your link, I'm not sure what to do with that. lol
Help?
**am I supposed to be saving these files to the phone itself? If so, where? Internal storage? SD card?
Vul said:
Alright, now we're getting somewhere.
co.ag
The phone itself says "unlocked" upon startup. I got the network unlock code direct from AT&T because at first the phone wouldn't even recognize my t-mo SIM. Phone is now network unlocked.
Ghost
gonna search now for fruitcake and see what thats all about. Do I need webtop?
Then going to get fastboot. Guess I dont need RSD Lite anymore?
Im doing this because I dont know what the previous owner has done and would like a clean slate. Kind of like changing the oil on a used car you buy, even if the PO says it was done.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
that "unlocked" bit on start up means your bootloader is unlocked, doesn't have anything to do with the SIM card. All this means is that you can flash a ROM since the phone is "unlocked"
Vul said:
Ok so,
I found fastboot with recovery tool and the .exe files within the ZIP dont do anything.
The fruitcake ZIP file I downloaded according to your link, I'm not sure what to do with that. lol
Help?
**am I supposed to be saving these files to the phone itself? If so, where? Internal storage? SD card?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
the fruitcake .zip goes on your internal sdcard. BUT, before you start doing anything, please go through the stickied threads in this section and read up on how to flash ROMs to your phone. This will include how to wipe your phone using the fastboot commands and how to flash the fruitcake .zip.
start here, read this post
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1154600
then follow guides to
"HOW TO INSTALL FRUITCAKES ON 2.3.4 (GREAT SBF/RSD ALTERNATIVE!!!)"
and
"ROMs & Kernels:
FYI:
Before installing any ROM or Kernel I suggest you do the following to help prevent error, boot-loops, etc. Also, it's a good idea to flash a new ROM or Kernel on a fully charged device:
1) Download which ever ROM or Kernel you plan on flashing and have the .zip on your device ready to flash.
2) Backup your apps (not system data), contacts, etc. Also consider making a CWM backup of your device, just in case.
3) Boot into CWM Recovery
4) Wipe Dalvik Cache (under advanced in CWM)
5) Wipe Cache Partition
6) Wipe data/factory reset
6a) If you're using ROM Manager/CWM you will need to reboot the device after step 5, and upon reboot enter fastboot mode and enter the command: "fastboot -w" or "moto-fastboot -w" if you prefer using moto-fastboot. Then type "fastboot reboot" and upon reboot make sure to enter Android Recovery again, so that you can flash the ROM/Kernel.
7) Install .zip from SD Card (choose the .zip you wish to install)
8) If you installing a radio, theme, kernel, etc. on top of a ROM, I would suggest redoing the whole wipe process again between flashes.
9) Reboot the Device
- If you get a boot loop, try entering Android recovery and re-wiping the chace and data, and perhaps try reflashing the ROM/Kernel. Or if you made a CWM backup, you can always restore that."
Vul said:
Ok so,
I found fastboot with recovery tool and the .exe files within the ZIP dont do anything.
The fruitcake ZIP file I downloaded according to your link, I'm not sure what to do with that. lol
Help?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok, sorry I wasn't that detailed in my other post and assumed you were on your phone (my bad). First things first, read the N00b guide.
1. Anytime you download CWM .zips, put them on the root of your phone's sdcard. You'll need them there in order access them from recovery. ( note: sdcard=internal sd card & sdcard-ext=external sd card for blur ROMS )
2. Fastboot commands are executed from the command line. Open a command prompt and navigate to the directory containing fastboot.exe in order to use it. The Noob guide should have links to all the fastboot commands you'll need.
3. With the Atrix's unlocked BL, holding Volume Down when turning the phone on will bring up a series of bootmodes to choose from. This is how you get into fastboot, recovery, RSD, etc. Navigate through the choices with Volume Down. Select one by pressing Volume Up. You should only ever really need Fastboot and Android Recovery.
4. CWM is used to flash .zips (ROMS, kernels, apps) while in recovery mode. Use romracer's to make things easier on yourself later.
Read through the N00b guide and this will all make perfect sense.
I have no idea what Im doing. I think because this phone has been tampered with so much already, it's making it extra tough to work with.
I managed to install CM7. Its the only ZIP file that actually seemed to take. I still dont understand fastboot , in the sense that I don;t know when Im supposed to see a command prompt. Also, now, CM7 is asking me to upgrade to premium and I have to pay for it. There doesnt seem to be a free way of installing it so that I can sync all my info through my google account. Ugh. Im not cut out for this but Ive been screwing with this literally since 730 this morning.
**CM7 with google apps packet installed. So far, so good. Im happy with this considering its pretty close to stock gingerbread, kinda like my G2. Now, Im hopefully done messing around. Would be nice if they release a solution for the fingerprint scanner or if I can get my gmail to auto sync but at least I can stop obsessing for the time being. Great help guys, thanks so much!!!!
I have experience rooting a Xoom, an Atrix, and an S3, but at the same time I usually just follow instructions to the bullet point while only vaguely understanding what I'm doing.
I got my cracked screen replaced at a non-samsung outlet yesterday which I'm pretty sure voids my warranty, and if so, I want to take advantage of that by rooting. But a lot has changed since the last time I rooted a phone - they're talking about "systemless root" and flashing an SELinux Permissive Kernel and then "Oh no wait you don't have to flash such a kernel in this new version" and I have no idea what any of that is referring to, all that stuff is new to me.
I have a Canadian Note 4 SM-N910W8 running the latest COK3 OTA update on 5.1.1. I found this rooted ROM which I'm pretty sure is the one I want, but then, it's the only one I found, if there are more or better rooted ROMs please let me know:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/note-4/snapdragon-dev/trltecan-n910w8-aoa1-stock-rooted-t3025538
The instructions for how to install it keep changing for every version though. It also says I need to start by flashing TWRP via ODIN - Okay, I've done that before, but I want to make sure I get the right one. I found a couple of sources:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/note-4/general/ref-stock-firmware-kernel-modem-recovery-t2920452 - twrp-2.8.7.0-trltecan.img.tar
and:
http://galaxynote4root.com/cwmtwrp-recovery/ - openrecovery-twrp-2.8.1.0-trltecan.img.tar
Not sure which one I should use.
All I want is to be able to edit the keyconfig files to get my USB controller working, to be able to edit system files to change the Touchwiz aggressive background app closing and allow apps to remain in memory for much longer to make it more like Windows memory management, and to be able to install Xposed modules like statusbar volume.
But I want to make sure that I'm doing everything *exactly* right, and that's why I like to ask real human beings to confirm my plan before starting. So I download one of those TWRP files, download ODIN, plug my phone into my PC, use ODIN to flash TWRP, boot into TWRP, use TWRP to wipe data, cache, dalvik, and system, and then install the rooted ROM I linked above. Have I got all that right? What's all this SELinux and systemless root stuff I keep hearing about, and why don't I need to do that anymore with the latest version of this rooted rom? Will this break any key features on my Note 4 like my spen or my external USB or my blood oxygen meter or all the cool novelty **** that Samsung Note 4 comes with?
Right here goes the rom u have is the right one for ur phone. There will be others around byt u can try that ome to start with. The twrp recovery u need is the 6th one on the list down the model numner is at the end of the file name, its the .tar file u want zip can be used also but thats using recovery to flash the rom. Using odin 3.09 latest one i think. U need to hold down volume down, home and the power to boot into download mode open idon with kies closed and end task with task manager in window.
Now whem oden starts u need to select the phone tab and choose the twrp recovery and flash that leaving everything unchecked apart from restart and reset time all others should be blank, i flashed with erase nand and nearly bricked my phone, thats one to leave for the experts lol.
Once u flashed recovery i think u need to root even though the rom is rooted rom i think it needs to be rooted before u flash the rom, not sure but its what was on the instructions i followed. If u try find a root file off here for ur phone u do same as u did flashing the recovery file and tjats it wait for phone to restart and reboot fully after flashing each recovery and root, i always do from knowimg its best ti imstall wimdows apps ome at a ti, e and reboot between the installs as less syste, errors can happen that way , well not system errors but linked dll files not been copied right and the like.
Thanks
Steve
Still need help them post back and will do my nest nut i a newb, i have an understandimg of how things work but by no means am i an expert i do what u do, i follow imstructions and learn as i go along what thimgs are and what they do, best way then u kmow what ur messing or dealing with.
U also, well i did for my 910f need to use a specific twrp or at least the latest release.
The walk throughs on most sites are all the right way to do it, just others are explained better than others and imclude other stuff if it goes wrong which believe me it can go wrong, easy as not seeimg a check box tocked or not ticked and boom paper weight lol
Digipro said:
The twrp recovery u need is the 6th one on the list down the model numner is at the end of the file name, its the .tar file u want zip can be used also but thats using recovery to flash the rom.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Okay but what about the other site I found, the XDA forum with TWRP recovery files? They seem like newer versions, but then that left me wondering if the reason the other site has older versions is because it's just outdated, or because only the older versions will work.
Thanks for all your help btw!
Your welcom, the rom you want is fine, u want to go for either of the roms version 3.21 de bloated or regula,, de bloated is where they take slot of apps by google and also carrier apps that sometimes come installed.
Steve.
Hello. I have a few questions on rooting this phone. (My first time rooting)
First off, Is this the same model as the ze550kl (I assume so but not 100% sure). I have attempted to root this phone through the instructions provided in posts on this website for model ze550kl but I must be doing something wrong with the programs ect. I have never rooted a phone and so this is my first try and I would really like a full in detail screenshot follow through if available to do with the programs once downloaded and any other programs you may need on windows 10 to get to where I need to be. I dislike the zenui so much that is my main reason to root the phone is to remove this and other bloatware as well as some of my friends have some apps that are pretty neat that I would like that are only available through root.. I have also tried other methods posted on YouTube but I think I'm doing something wrong on all of my attempts. I would also like to know if there is a way to make a backup of the original files prior to rooting so I can send my phone in because I have a 2 year warantee if something was to happen (dropped, broken, ect.). In relation to the screenshots if there is any files that have to be placed on the phones hard drive from something I download off the internet please state this specifically, I believe that one or 2 ways I have seen required this but it seems vauge and I don't think it was done correctly by me. I am great at following detailed instructions but I don't know what exactly it is I need to do as I have never done this before so if something has to have a specific name please note that.
Thank you for the help.
My ZF2L should be showing up any minute now, so I'll let you know when it gets here. I'm no expert, but I've been rooting my Android devices since 2009. I think I can help you out.
HampTheToker said:
My ZF2L should be showing up any minute now, so I'll let you know when it gets here. I'm no expert, but I've been rooting my Android devices since 2009. I think I can help you out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you, I think I'm just missing an important step. The zenui just isn't my style. Will be nice to be able to remove
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---------- Post added at 02:07 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:28 PM ----------
Yeah, I think you just need more comprehensive instructions. It happens from time to time. From what I can tell so far, it's a pretty straightforward process for those that are familiar with root, but to a beginner it can be a bit much. As soon as mah lazah is dunna chargin' I'll walk you through the steps I took to root it, install custom recovery, and make a backup of your entire system just in case you ever need to restore your phone to a stock-rooted-but otherwise unmodified state. I should have something up in the next couple hours ?
Updated, rooted, and installed custom recovery. I'll post a short write-up shortly.
First off, I'm going to answer your questions since I didn't previously.
Sorvas33 said:
First off, Is this the same model as the ze550kl (I assume so but not 100% sure).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, they're different, but I'm not entirely sure by how much. I'm 100% sure that they're probably maybe 90% or so compatible, but there are differences. I just don't know them without checking. I wouldn't go flashing anything that doesn't explicitly state that it's for the 551 or is compatible or has had a 551 user test and report success. There are some things that are kind of universal (and we'll get into that a little), but for now let's just stick with using caution.
Sorvas33 said:
I would also like to know if there is a way to make a backup of the original files prior to rooting so I can send my phone in because I have a 2 year warantee if something was to happen (dropped, broken, ect.)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
We'll make a backup using TWRP, but you'll have to be rooted. A TWRP backup (or nandroid backup) is like a snapshot of your current system. You can customize it and only backup certain parts of the system as well as restore certain parts, but I wouldn't worry about that. Most of the time you'll want a complete backup, anyway. But, to answer your question, no, you'll have to be rooted, but you can always unroot from the phone using the Supersu app. If the damage is physical an unrooted backup wouldn't matter anyway.
So, here's my (hopefully) brief write-up to acquire root, install recovery, make a backup, and ,optionally, install the Xposed framework. Before getting started be sure to have plugged your phone into your computer for Windows to download and install drivers for your ZF2L. Also, you will need to download and install adb in order to use command prompt to flash files to your phone. This link will take you to a thread here at XDA for Minimal ADB and Fastboot. This is the easiest way to install and use adb and fastboot on your computer. Once you have it installed you can proceed to the next steps.
First, you'll need to unlock your bootloader using the app found here. It's in a .zip files for whatever reason, so you'll need to use 7zip or WinZip or WinRAR or something on your computer to extract it and install to your phone. You can plug your phone in and place the extracted app on your external or internal storage or use a cloud storage app like Dropbox or Google Drive to transfer it to your phone. If you plug it in and place on your internal or external storage, then you'll need to use File Manager (it's a stock app) to find and install it. Once installed just run the app. It's extremely user friendly and straightforward. Your phone will reboot when it's done.
Next, you'll have to temporarily boot a modified boot.img using Minimal adb and fastboot. Once this step is completed and the phone boots up you'll need to go to the Play Store and install Supersu as well as Busybox if you want your root apps to work properly.
Go here on your computer and download the modified boot.img named boot_200007.img and place it in the Minimal adb and fastboot folder. As you can see in this screenshot:
my adb and fastboot folder is located at C:\Windows\Minimal ADB and Fastboot. Once you have the boot.img copied to the right folder go ahead and connect your phone, if it isn't already. Hold the power button and restart the phone. As soon as the screen goes off hold the volume up button until the phone boots into fastboot mode. If you have trouble with this, you can just turn the phone off, and then press and hold power and volume up until it boots into fastboot mode. Right click the Minimal adb and fastboot icon and select run as administrator. As long as it's installed correctly, the following commands shouldn't give you any error messages. Before we go further, let me briefly explain what we're doing at this point. We have two options: we can flash the boot.img which will physically write it to the proper partition on your phone, or we can simply boot the phone while the modified boot.img remains on your computer and unwritten to the phone, which is what we want to do in this case. To do this we enter the following command:
fastboot boot boot_200007.img
Your phone should reboot on it's own and once it does open the app drawer and check to see if Supersu is installed. If it isn't, open Play and install it, as well as Busybox. Open Supersu and make sure you have root. Once your done, open Busybox and install Busybox to /system/xbin and reboot when finished. At this point, you can disconnect your phone and ensure the Supersu does give you any errors. Test it by installing your favorite root apps, and since you're new to root, I'll give you some suggestions. You can do a google search to find Adaway. It isn't available in the Play Store because it's an adblocker and ads are Google's bread and butter, but it sure is nice to use apps without intrusive apps trying to sell you something no matter where you go. Root + Adaway have been solving that problem for years. Next we have Root Explorer which is my root file manager of choice. Another community favorite is ES File Manager. Both are great. Titanium Backup, Flashify (install it for the next step), and Viper4Android (not in Play search XDA) are all must have apps for root users. Install and open some of those (especially Flashify) just to verify that they work and let's move on the next step.
Download TWRP here and place it on either internal or external storage. Open Flashify and select Recovery Image and then find and select recovery551_200431.img. This will write the TeamWinRecoveryProject custom recovery to the recovery partition of your phone which will allow you to view, backup, restore, and modify all the relevant partitions that make up the Android operation system. At this moment, it's important to understand that you are now more than capable of completely and totally bricking your phone...but you're also capable of recovering from most problems that can arise from flashing mods and using root apps. This is where we'll make a complete backup for just that very reason.
After you've flashed TWRP using Flashify, you'll be prompted to reboot. Do so, and your phone will reboot into recovery. You'll see a message one the first run with a check box to disable modifications to system or something along those lines (can't remember exactly what it says lol), just don't check it. Leave the box uncheck and swipe the bar to allow modifications to system. Now, you should see the main menu. Select Backup and make sure that Boot, System, Data, and Cache are selected and rename the backup to something along the lines of "stock_rooted" or "stock_backup" if you wish and you're ready to create a nandroid backup. Swipe the button and give it a few minutes. Once done, just reboot and you're good to go.
Now to install Xposed, you'll first need to install the Xposed Installer .apk on your phone from here. To flash Xposed, reboot into recovery (turn off then hold power + volume down) and select Install then select the Xposed .zip package xposed-v80-sdk21-arm64.zip that you downloaded and placed on your internal (preferrably) or external storage beforehand. Once finished just reboot and you're done. Be warned that the first boot after installing Xposed will take a long time (approx. 5-10 minutes). Greenify, Gravitybox (LL), Youtube Adaway, Flat Style Bar Indicators, MaxLock, and NotifyClean are just a few of my favorite Xposed modules. Be sure to read the descriptions for these modules carefully and do not forget that Xposed modules can be tricky and cause problems if they're not compatible with your phone. Honestly, you should ask here before installing any modules that I haven't already mentioned.
Anyway, that's my brief write-up lol. Hopefully, that isn't too hard to follow. Don't hesitate to reply back if you encounter a problem, have any questions, or simply want to report your success and ask for tips. I'll leave you with this little tip: don't give up on ZenUI. It definitely doesn't hold a flame to stock Android, but if you use a third party launcher like Nova Launcher and use Developer Options to increase animation speed to .5 seconds (or turn them off entirely) it's really not so horrible, in my opinion. It's damn sure not TouchWiz.
HampTheToker said:
So, here's my (hopefully) brief write-up to acquire root, install recovery, make a backup, and ,optionally, install the Xposed framework. Before getting started be sure to have plugged your phone into your computer for Windows to download and install drivers for your ZF2L. Also, you will need to download and install adb in order to use command prompt to flash files to your phone. This link will take you to a thread here at XDA for Minimal ADB and Fastboot. This is the easiest way to install and use adb and fastboot on your computer. Once you have it installed you can proceed to the next steps.
First, you'll need to unlock your bootloader using the app found here. It's in a .zip files for whatever reason, so you'll need to use 7zip or WinZip or WinRAR or something on your computer to extract it and install to your phone. You can plug your phone in and place the extracted app on your external or internal storage or use a cloud storage app like Dropbox or Google Drive to transfer it to your phone. If you plug it in and place on your internal or external storage, then you'll need to use File Manager (it's a stock app) to find and install it. Once installed just run the app. It's extremely user friendly and straightforward. Your phone will reboot when it's done.
Next, you'll have to temporarily boot a modified boot.img using Minimal adb and fastboot. Once this step is completed and the phone boots up you'll need to go to the Play Store and install Supersu as well as Busybox if you want your root apps to work properly.
Go here on your computer and download the modified boot.img named boot_200007.img and place it in the Minimal adb and fastboot folder. As you can see in this screenshot:
my adb and fastboot folder is located at C:\Windows\Minimal ADB and Fastboot. Once you have the boot.img copied to the right folder go ahead and connect your phone, if it isn't already. Hold the power button and restart the phone. As soon as the screen goes off hold the volume up button until the phone boots into fastboot mode. If you have trouble with this, you can just turn the phone off, and then press and hold power and volume up until it boots into fastboot mode. Right click the Minimal adb and fastboot icon and select run as administrator. As long as it's installed correctly, the following commands shouldn't give you any error messages. Before we go further, let me briefly explain what we're doing at this point. We have two options: we can flash the boot.img which will physically write it to the proper partition on your phone, or we can simply boot the phone while the modified boot.img remains on your computer and unwritten to the phone, which is what we want to do in this case. To do this we enter the following command:
fastboot boot boot_200007.img
Your phone should reboot on it's own and once it does open the app drawer and check to see if Supersu is installed. If it isn't, open Play and install it, as well as Busybox. Open Supersu and make sure you have root. Once your done, open Busybox and install Busybox to /system/xbin and reboot when finished. At this point, you can disconnect your phone and ensure the Supersu does give you any errors. Test it by installing your favorite root apps, and since you're new to root, I'll give you some suggestions. You can do a google search to find Adaway. It isn't available in the Play Store because it's an adblocker and ads are Google's bread and butter, but it sure is nice to use apps without intrusive apps trying to sell you something no matter where you go. Root + Adaway have been solving that problem for years. Next we have Root Explorer which is my root file manager of choice. Another community favorite is ES File Manager. Both are great. Titanium Backup, Flashify (install it for the next step), and Viper4Android (not in Play search XDA) are all must have apps for root users. Install and open some of those (especially Flashify) just to verify that they work and let's move on the next step.
Download TWRP here and place it on either internal or external storage. Open Flashify and select Recovery Image and then find and select recovery551_200431.img. This will write the TeamWinRecoveryProject custom recovery to the recovery partition of your phone which will allow you to view, backup, restore, and modify all the relevant partitions that make up the Android operation system. At this moment, it's important to understand that you are now more than capable of completely and totally bricking your phone...but you're also capable of recovering from most problems that can arise from flashing mods and using root apps. This is where we'll make a complete backup for just that very reason.
After you've flashed TWRP using Flashify, you'll be prompted to reboot. Do so, and your phone will reboot into recovery. You'll see a message one the first run with a check box to disable modifications to system or something along those lines (can't remember exactly what it says lol), just don't check it. Leave the box uncheck and swipe the bar to allow modifications to system. Now, you should see the main menu. Select Backup and make sure that Boot, System, Data, and Cache are selected and rename the backup to something along the lines of "stock_rooted" or "stock_backup" if you wish and you're ready to create a nandroid backup. Swipe the button and give it a few minutes. Once done, just reboot and you're good to go.
Now to install Xposed, you'll first need to install the Xposed Installer .apk on your phone from here. To flash Xposed, reboot into recovery (turn off then hold power + volume down) and select Install then select the Xposed .zip package xposed-v80-sdk21-arm64.zip that you downloaded and placed on your internal (preferrably) or external storage beforehand. Once finished just reboot and you're done. Be warned that the first boot after installing Xposed will take a long time (approx. 5-10 minutes). Greenify, Gravitybox (LL), Youtube Adaway, Flat Style Bar Indicators, MaxLock, and NotifyClean are just a few of my favorite Xposed modules. Be sure to read the descriptions for these modules carefully and do not forget that Xposed modules can be tricky and cause problems if they're not compatible with your phone. Honestly, you should ask here before installing any modules that I haven't already mentioned.
Anyway, that's my brief write-up lol. Hopefully, that isn't too hard to follow. Don't hesitate to reply back if you encounter a problem, have any questions, or simply want to report your success and ask for tips. I'll leave you with this little tip: don't give up on ZenUI. It definitely doesn't hold a flame to stock Android, but if you use a third party launcher like Nova Launcher and use Developer Options to increase animation speed to .5 seconds (or turn them off entirely) it's really not so horrible, in my opinion. It's damn sure not TouchWiz.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you man, I will try this when I get a chance (working 14 hour days ATM) but I will let you know how it goes.also what model member do you have. Because the box I have is we're I got my model number. I can't find the one listed on my box in the device itself.
Exact same model...ZE551KL.
In About Phone the model number is ASUS_Z00TD.
HampTheToker said:
Exact same model...ZE551KL.
In About Phone the model number is ASUS_Z00TD.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Exactly what I have. Sweet. I'll update you once I'm done. Thank you for your help and assistance. Any app advice? For uninstalling and cleaning hdd/ram. And theme?
Come on, bro...I gotta know if that's friendly enough to get you squared away...
HampTheToker said:
Come on, bro...I gotta know if that's friendly enough to get you squared away...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I should have time either tomorrow or next weekend all depending and I'll let you know then. Depends on how much I have to work. I check this post about once to twice a day. Thank you for your effort and time. I really do appreciate it.
Now I do have one more question on my mind. Does the Asus zenfone that we have keep a flash tracker? Meaning that it keeps track if a phone was rooted. The reason I ask is that I have a 2 year warantee and I know that this will "void" it unless I flash it back. But if they have a tracker then I need to make sure there is a way to reset that as well. From what I have read personally it is only Samsung that is keeping track in this way. Thanks for your help Mr.Toker
Yeah, that's mostly a Sammy thing. I'm coming from a Galaxy S4 that's been passed down to my six year old. I'm all too familiar with flash counters and KNOX security. Thankfully, I don't believe Asus has anything like that. That's one of the many reasons I chose this phone over anything Cricket had to offer. I don't care how good the hardware is, if it can't be unlocked and rooted, then I don't want it.
But, to answer your question more directly, no, I don't believe your warranty will be affected.
Also, I'm going to paste this warning from the developer that built TWRP for us.
Warning
Do not try to fix permission, if you do not know exactly what this is ?
Home > Advance > Fixpermission
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Click to collapse
Just figured I'd add that I believe I read unlocking your boot loader voids the warranty. As of right now, I'm pretty sure there's no way to root without unlocking it, and no way to re-lock it after unlocking.
Sent from my ASUS_Z00TD using Tapatalk
CKtheProblem said:
Just figured I'd add that I believe I read unlocking your boot loader voids the warranty. As of right now, I'm pretty sure there's no way to root without unlocking it, and no way to re-lock it after unlocking.
Sent from my ASUS_Z00TD using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
"oem relock bootloader" should do the trick, but I haven't tried it. Sure, technically unlocking your bootloader and rooting voids your warranty, but it's not like either sends a message to Asus in the background stating that you've voided your warranty. The only way they'd know is if you sent it to them for a claim while still rooted. Even then, if it's bricked, it's bricked. They still won't know. If it's not bricked and it's just hardware, then you should be able to unroot.
Honestly, rooting your device has always been a risk to your warranty, but I've yet to have any issues with it since I started rooting my devices in 2009.
HampTheToker said:
"oem relock bootloader" should do the trick, but I haven't tried it. Sure, technically unlocking your bootloader and rooting voids your warranty, but it's not like either sends a message to Asus in the background stating that you've voided your warranty. The only way they'd know is if you sent it to them for a claim while still rooted. Even then, if it's bricked, it's bricked. They still won't know. If it's not bricked and it's just hardware, then you should be able to unroot.
Honestly, rooting your device has always been a risk to your warranty, but I've yet to have any issues with it since I started rooting my devices in 2009.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah you're probably right. Luckily, I've never had to send a phone I rooted back in for repairs so I can't say anything about the process.
Sent from my ASUS_Z00TD using Tapatalk
Thanks for those root/recovery instructions, just got this same phone and model number yesterday and just now found the files needed ! You rock! What roms do you suggest?
tmjm28 said:
Thanks for those root/recovery instructions, just got this same phone and model number yesterday and just now found the files needed ! You rock! What roms do you suggest?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
at present we have only stock rom, no custom rom is available for zenfone laser.